Elixir of Surging Power
“Gyuil hyung! You’re really not gonna have even one shot?”
“On a day like this, you gotta drink!”
“Hyung, we’d be disappointed if you bailed.”
The 01 Team members struck poses with their soju glasses raised. Today wasn’t just any day—they’d crushed the shaman Lizardman, and everyone had made it out unscathed. A monumental occasion like this couldn’t be wasted sober.
But Nam Gyuil waved them off.
“I’m not feeling great today. Not in drinking shape. Let’s do it another time.”
He brushed off their insistence and headed out. They all looked disappointed, but Nam Gyuil pushed everything aside and made for the market. There, he splurged on pricey ingredients: plants harvested from gates, various herbal medicines, and meat from butchered weak monsters. Nearly three million won down the drain.
Back home, he placed the black tail from the shaman Lizardman on the table. He rummaged through the sink cabinet for a kitchen knife.
“Time to brew a mid-grade elixir!”
He sliced up the market ingredients and the black tail, tossing them into a pot. Added a bit of water, fired up the gas stove.
Whoosh!
The mid-grade elixir ingredients simmered in the pot. As heat built, the black tail melted down, releasing a thick, musky odor.
A full day passed like that. All the ingredients had boiled down nicely, completing the elixir. He lifted the lid—milky liquid inside. A greasy aroma assaulted his nose. The stench was brutal, but hey, a mid-grade elixir was born.
Clink.
Nam Gyuil ladled it into a bowl. Pinched his nose shut with his thumb and forefinger, then chugged it down.
‘Wait—this taste?!’
For some reason, the mid-grade elixir tasted like tail soup. Imagining spicy kimchi and fluffy white rice, he drained every last drop.
Then he sat cross-legged on the floor and began mana meditation. He gathered mana calmly in his heart. In that instant, mana purity surged beyond his wildest imagination.
‘It’s not just purity.’
The total amount was climbing steeply too. Every muscle fiber brimmed with unyielding energy. His mind sharpened, blood flowed smoother than ever.
“Huuuuh.”
With a final exhale, he ended the meditation.
‘How much stronger am I now?’
Curiosity flooded him about his transformed body. He stood, stripped off his clothes, and inspected himself visually.
‘Muscles have bulked up.’
His physique was tighter, more defined—especially those abs, now razor-sharp. Forearms had split into pronounced twins, biceps swollen by half again. He checked his back in the full-length mirror.
“This is insane.”
Back muscles armored like plate mail. Shoulders broader. Legs had transformed too—quads bulging in twin ridges, calves tougher.
A sly smile crept across Nam Gyuil’s lips.
‘Mid-grade elixir packs a punch.’
He was several times stronger already.
‘A bit more, and... maybe I can pull it off too?’
Mana Sword. The technique of Arnia’s swordmasters. Coat your weapon in mana for massive attack boosts. With enough mana, you could even armor yourself for defense. That’s how Arnia’s elites fought.
Master Mana Sword, and no monster would scare him for a good while.
Nam Gyuil clenched his fist.
‘Gonna get way stronger. Until I can wield Mana Sword!!’
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Nam Gyuil clocked in at the Hunter Agency with his QR code and settled into his chair at 01 Team’s spot.
“Sir! Good morning, sir!”
Hong Shinu snapped a salute, beaming. Yesterday she’d been all gloom, but closing the gate unscathed had sparked real hope for a full discharge with limbs intact.
“Yeah, good morning.”
Nam Gyuil returned the salute and sat. Dagger and shield on the desk as usual, hands clasped behind his head.
‘Maybe hit some training soon.’
Then Hwang Ilsu burst through the door. Hong Shinu saluted sharply.
“Sir!! Good morning, sir! Sergeant Hwang Ilsu, sir!”
“Yeah, sure.”
Hwang Ilsu mumbled back vaguely and headed for Nam Gyuil.
“Gyuil hyung. Lieutenant Colonel Park Heeryeong wants you.”
“What?”
Nam Gyuil blinked, unclasping his hands. Park summoning him? No screw-ups, so not a reprimand. If it was info, messenger would’ve sufficed. Only one reason left.
‘Wants to know how we closed the gate zero casualties.’
Plus, he’d shone brightest rescuing the captive national hunters from the Lizardman. They’d want his strength secrets.
Nam Gyuil stood. No plans to spill the truth.
‘Can’t mention Akashic Records. Jealous types or exploiters would swarm.’
Something plausible enough for Park to swallow.
He headed to the office.
“Sergeant Nam Gyuil reporting as ordered, sir.”
“Ah, come in.”
Hunter Agency Lieutenant Colonel Park Heeryeong eyed him from the plush sofa.
“I called you about the gate. How’d you close it?”
“Understood, sir.”
“Report in detail. I want the full play-by-play.”
“Yes, sir!!”
Nam Gyuil delivered crisply.
“Tracked the Lizardman, set a trap, lured and split them with bait, then executed the op.”
“And then?”
“Rookie national hunters rescued the kidnapped 07 Team members. I smashed the core, and we all bugged out.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Who downed the boss?”
“I took it solo, sir.”
“What I’m after is how you suddenly got so strong. How’d you solo the boss?”
Park’s angle was clear: training secrets? Special skills? Spill the know-how for force boosts.
Nam Gyuil had zero intention of truth-telling. Sharing would breed envy, users, even criminals copying it.
‘Akashic knowledge drops when I’m strong enough to handle any fallout.’
He spun a plausible, by-the-book tale.
“Fought straight out of the Hunter Agency combat manual, sir.”
“Hunter Agency manual?”
“The shaman Lizardman beat 07 Team first, then faced us.”
“So?”
“High on victory, it underestimated 01 Team. That complacency lingered mid-fight. We exploited the gap and won.”
The manual preached baiting monster overconfidence. Research was thin, so basics only—but it bumped survival odds a hair.
Park blinked.
“Monster got cocky... let its guard down, making the op smooth?”
“Yes, sir. Without the prior national hunters softening them up, no complacency—op would’ve been rough.”
Nam Gyuil’s voice rang clear. Park tilted his head.
‘If the manual worked that well, discharge rates would top 37%.’
Suspicion flickered. As Park’s gaze sharpened, Nam Gyuil added:
“Thought my recent discharge would hinder me, but their carelessness saved us. Lucky break, sir.”
“Right, yeah. You’d been back under three days post-hospital.”
Park scratched his head. Made sense now—no way a fresh returnee had power-up secrets, let alone this fast.
‘Either Gyuil’s experience shone, or plain luck.’
No secrets meant praise to boost morale.
Park stood, clapped Nam Gyuil’s shoulder.
“You earned big merits this time.”
“Thank you, sir.”
“Saved 07 Team thanks to you—expect fat bonuses on this month’s pay. Look forward to it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Dismissed.”
Nam Gyuil saluted, exited, and exhaled long.
‘Dodged that.’
Zero-casualty Day 1 pulling this? Wonder what faces for full discharge streak.
He chuckled despite himself.
“Training time.”
Rubbing his neck, he hit the training room. Swung the wooden sword, honing basics.
Swoosh, whoosh.
Arnia swordsmanship. Specifically, Imperial Knights’ style. Fascinating: brutal reps for flawless forms. Transitions doubled as attacks or defenses. Master all 15 postures perfectly to claim proficiency.
Not easy.
‘Basics first. Perfect swordplay, then Mana Sword.’
No technique mattered without solid hits. Goal: flawless swordsmanship.
Swoosh, swoosh.
Hours blurred. Breath ragged, gasps filling the room, muscles screaming. Clock: three hours straight, no breaks.
‘Lunchtime.’
Catch breath, fill belly. He stowed the bokken and headed to the agency cafeteria. Tray loaded, scanning seats—Hong Shinu waved.
“Sergeant Nam Gyuil! Over here!”
The vast hall was half-empty; low survival kept crowds thin. He joined his teammates.
Lee Chanu, mid-scoop, fired off:
“What’d the lieutenant colonel grill you on that took till lunch? Something serious?”
“Nah, interview wrapped quick. Been personal training since.”
“What training lasts that long?”
Lee Chanu tilted his head, baffled. Shoved rice in, questioned on.
“Agency drills don’t bulk me up—how about you, hyung?”
Nam Gyuil smirked instead of answering. Earth had awakener regimens, sure.
‘All wrong.’
Flawed methods stagnated national hunters. That bogus training slashed discharge odds below 37%.
He slung an arm over Lee Chanu’s shoulder.
“Chanu.”
“Yeah, hyung?”
“Watch this hyung get stupid strong from up close. Leisurely.”